Tanks and Camis--What for? - YouLookFab Forum

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Tanks and Camis--What for?

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

Ok, so this is a bit embarrassing.

I have seen people comment that they wear tank tops "for layering." What exactly does that mean?

In my world that's what a camisole was for--well, actually, it as the piece you wore under a see-through blouse (not that you had one. Inappropriate, really, so I was always told, so I have never had one nor needed one.) As well, anything so low cut as to need something underneath it was put back on the rack and something more modest would be chosen. I never had a problem with that--why would you buy something--oly to buy something else just so you could wear it? Didn't make much sense to practical ol' me.

A tank top was just for wearing on hot days with shorts.

Obviously, I am missing something!

Teach me, please. Thanks!

Dressing

32 replies

Latest reply was from Liz

Echo

Veteran

I enjoy sheer or semi-sheer tops when the weather gets warm. I work in the school, and I will more readily wear a semi-sheer top with a tank top underneath (more coverage than a cami) in warm weather than a sleeveless top. The semi-sheer top is still more covered somehow than the sleeveless top, without being too warm.

Knitwear can also have gaps or holes - usually intentionally knitted into the piece. Tank tops or even t-shirts work well under sweaters like that both for warmth and coverage.

Overall, tank tops have more coverage and cover higher on the bust than camisoles do, so they are my preferred under layer for semi-sheer or low-cut tops. And given that I like the layered look and the tank makes it possible to wear without compromising modesty, that's what I generally choose.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Maybe you don't need them. I don't need tights, and my true home (when we are not in FL) is in a winter climate. Every wardrobe is different I figure!

Beth

Veteran

I wear camisoles/tanks under semi sheer blouses in the same way Echo does. I also find them useful for v-neck tops and dresses that may be appropriate for non-work activities but are slightly too low for work. I also wear them as an additional non-bulky layer in cold days.

Joy

Veteran

I wear a tank top almost daily. White ones: I learned here that a white top looks more pristine when worn over a white tank or cami.
To visually lengthen a shorter top with jeans or pants. Some of my tops are shorter to wear with skirts. By wearing a longer tank under them, usually in the color of the top or pants, the proportions and coverage are better for jeans. This type of layering can also camouflage muffin top and apple belly.
Modesty: I never wear anything low cut but notice that even a crew neck can gape on me when bending over to show too much. I work with preadolescent children. Then there are sheer tops, some that you don't expect to be.
Tanks can smooth out lumps and give a better fit.
Warmth
Being able to cool off temporarily for sudden hot flashes.
Worn as a top in summer around the house,I can quickly add a topper to go out.

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

Echo--that's an interesting point about a sheer top being somewhat less revealing than a sleeveless. And good point about knitwear.

Mo--maybe I don't but I thought I'd check!
Beth, thank you for letting me know. Are your tanks/camis in colour then, since they are a pat of your outfit--or are they neutral?

Eliza

Veteran

I love them for creating a smoother look, eliminating excessive "grinning" when the top is lighter in color than the bottom, and as Angie says, addng crispness to an outfit. They also add a bit warmth in our winters, though they are not hot in summer if you choose the right one. I wear linen in summer, and prefer not to have skin showing through it. This is a personal choice, I think a lot of people opt out.

rabbit

Veteran

white plain cotton cami - under an open weave white cotton sweater, looks less awkward than seeing short sleeves through the weave. Under a thin but close-knit sweater that needs an extra layer against the skin to be comfortable, 'brightens' the white or pastel color in front of it, less bulky than a tee shirt. Also fills in behind a panel of cotton lace on the back of an off-white top.

black stretch cami - I've worn 20 times so far this year. Provides a solid foundation under a cropped length floral chiffon top (no belly peeks), fills in an extra half inch of neckline under numerous tunic tops. I really like wide cut necklines and scoop necks, they work well with my short neck. Unfortunately these are the kind of loose over-sized tops that when you lean forward you tend to flash the person across from you.. Usually they are fine if you stand upright. I think the drape and drama of them are a lot more flattering than a higher/smaller neckline would be on me.

Beth

Veteran

Alana, I have both neutrals and colors. For example, I have several cream colored camis that I wear under semi sheer cream colored tops, but I also have a chocolate brown cami that I wear under a wrap dress. The cami peeks out slightly in the v-neck of the dress and picks up colors in the pattern of the fabric.

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

"...eliminating excessive "grinning" when the top is lighter in color than the bottom,...."

what is "grinning"? I have heard this before and haven't a clue. Does someone have a visual?

Anonymous

Hi Alana - this post made me smile...I was just carrying on myself about getting my tanks and camis on order. One thing that I picked up in the last couple of years that has stayed with me, is that a tank or cami (and i mean true underpinning, not a cotton wear-with-shorts-tank) is the perfect thing to wear underneath all of our winter sweaters. It extends their life - in other words, you don't need to dry-clean or launder a sweater as often if it's not worn against your skin, and often makes a lot of knitwear hang better (camouflaging bra straps and bands etc) Took me a while to get used to doing it. Bending over, leaning forward, all of that stuff - a tank or cami provides good coverage.

Anonymous

And, I have no idea what grinning is either. Looking forward to being enlightened about yet another thing we have to worry about - lol.

Aida

Veteran

Good advice already, I will throw in another type that I like to wear: semi-sheer tissue weight tanks. These are NOT fitted, but have a loose and breezy cut. I layer these under other sleeveless tops that have long armholes, and under sheer blouses of all sorts (semi-sheer + sheer gets enough coverage) along with openweave knitwear. They get me a "layered look" when it's hot, which is something I enjoy. I'll also wear them on their own under a jacket that's done up, so there's a bit of semi-sheer peeking out. I have one black and one white, and both get a fair amount of use but the white especially.

EDIT: An Angie post on Grinning.

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

rabbit--I never knew that Camis/tanks are the solution for that particular problem! Thank you! Excellent other reasons I've never considered. I appreciate the light/dark breakdown, too. Understanding is beginning to dawn...

Joy--sorry, but what do you mean--"Being able to cool off temporarily for sudden hot flashes." Love the idea of popping on a topper to leave the house--effortless. Makes the whites whiter and brighter, eh? Interesting.
You know, I don't wear many woven button down shirts in the winter--I dislike layering sweters on top of them to make them warm enough (also, too much sleeve action going on these big thick arms) --but a tank plus the shirt makes sense. Doh.

Thanks, for explaining Beth. Cream makes sense if cream is your light neutral, for sure (instead of white.) I like the sound of that chocolate cami and dress combo.

Gigi

Veteran

I haven't read all the responses, but I use tanks generally in two ways: (1) as camis, for warmth or to avoid too much see-through in a blouse, and (2) as pseudo-shirts with cardigans.

To explain (2): I don't have very many spring and summer tops, since I am difficult to fit on my top half, and I discovered that I can make do by wearing a tank plus a button-down cardigan. The tanks that I have are white, and a little thin and see-through, and just generally look somewhat like underwear, so they can't stand on their own. However, when I pair them with a cardigan, all is good. The cardigans I use for this pairing are v-necks where the V comes down to my bust line, so the cardigans absolutely have to have something underneath. So the two go well together!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Alana, here's Angie's post on "grinning." With visuals. Those archives are a fund of info! Just type a word into the search function and it's amazing what you can find.

I don't wear a tank or cami every day by any means, but when I wear one, I wear it for any and all of the reasons others have said. I like tanks for the bra strap coverage.

Marley

Veteran

I wear tanks (as an under-layer) pretty much everyday year round. In fact, because I store my jeans rolled up in a dresser drawer, I tuck a tank (or cami - but usually a tank) into the leg of every pair of jeans. That way when I pull out a pair of jeans to wear, I already have the tank that I'm going to wear with the jeans. I almost always wear the same color of tank as my jeans (to eliminate grinning) and so its very easy to store my tanks and jeans together this way. All of my tops - from sweaters, to tees, to blouses - seem to drape better with a tank underneath them.

Oh, I also hang a tank with my skirts (same color as the skirt) on the hanger with the skirt - and same with trousers. The only thing I usually don't wear a tank with are dresses. For some reason tanks just don't seem to wear with my dresses!

I can't imagine not wearing a tank as my base layer!

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Wow, I never imagined so many people wore tanks/camisoles so often. Don't feel alone though Alana, I've only got a couple, excluding of course ones that I wear alone as sleeveless tops in the summer. I used to wear those all-in-one camisoles with a shelf bra when I was younger but finally realized that that was not enough bust support. At the same time I got rid of most of my low-cut stuff that needed something underneath, or anything too sheer to wear with just a bra. I've mostly stuck to those guidelines ever since - I don't like having to wear multiple layers unless it's particularly cold (and it's not that cold in my area most of the year). And I personally dislike the look of wearing a camisole to make the neckline of your top/dress higher - just looks like the piece doesn't fit, to me.

columbine(erin)

Veteran

I like tanks and camis as a way to vary outfits. For example I have a navy silk tank with blue, cream, tan, and brown flowers on it. I can wear almost all my cardigans and bottoms with it. I just like the combo of say a three quarter sleeve cardigan and a non matchy tank over pants or skirts. It's been easier to find combos like this that I like than to find say button down shirts or knit tops that look good on their own.

L'Abeille

Veteran

I understand what they are for (although some of these ideas, like protecting a winter sweater from your skin, are new to me) but I have never got into wearing them. However my daughters, especially the youngest (now 23) wear them all the time, for some additional reasons as well. I grew up on the notion that underwear straps etc are not meant to be seen, and don't think I will ever feel comfortable with that sort of look, but a visible underlayer is part of the style for many, Filling in low necklines and covering the gap with low rise pants is a major use for my daughters. Also they (esp youngest DD) will layer several tanks of different colours so they are all somewhat visible. I suggested when DD was still a teen that wearing 4 tops instead of one every day was likely to become less popular once one had to pay for doing one's own laundry,,,

The other thing not mentioned yet is the idea of a "tissue T". This represents a top so thin that it can't possibly be worn as a single layer. I still find it quite annoying how many times I pick up an attractive top in a store and realize the fabric is too thin for me to wear. Ever. Even with shapewear... At least it was a relief to realize that most young women aren't trying to wear them as a sigle layer either.

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

I am just about falling over with exhaustion and I have to e up early gain tomorrow, so please forgive me for not addressing each of you in turn. This has turned out to be quite an interesting (and to me, fascinating) discussion of the clothes we wear and how we wear them. Thank you all so much.

Thanks for the links to the article, Suz and Aida. That was really interesting.

E

Veteran

I call them 'layering camis' to distinguish the sleeveless tops I only wear under something else from all of the sleeveless blouses I happily wear as standalone items.

I wear mine: under something sheer (I like that look), under my dress with a polyster lining to keep the lining from itching me, under a cardigan that I'm just unbuttoning a little ways, under a sweater that's irritating my torso for some reason, and to fill in a couple necklines that are too low for my current tastes (I usually use ones with decorative necklines themselves for that purpose). My sister used to wear one daily in the warmer months, the way men wear undershirts, to protect her professional clothes from the consequences of 40+ summers, but I don't know if she still does.

The most useful ones I own for layering purposes are: woven cream silk, knit light pink cotton, knit light grey cotton, and woven taupe silk (w lacey neckline). I also own a pretty vintage woven cream nylon one that fits me perfectly, so I use it when the boxier silk one doesn't work as well, and a knit navy blue cotton one that comes in handy on occasion, so it's allowed to stay as it doesn't take up space. But most of my sheer clothes are lighter coloured, so I use the lighter coloured camis more.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I wear a camisole or tank top as an under garment each day - it doesn't matter how hot it is. It keeps me warm, cozy, polished and comfy. Plus it prevents grinning and is a necessity under see-through tops - which I love to wear because they look pretty. In Winter I switch to thermals.

elpgal

Veteran

I wear one daily under almost everything including dresses. I normally run hot but the tanks I wear are very lightweight and don't bother me. For me it is more of a comfort/armour thing. I grew up wearing short slips under frocks and like smooth contours under clothing so things like bra hooks etc are not visible. Surprisingly, I don't have a problem with visible bra straps.

Diana

Veteran

I wear camisoles under sheer or lacy tops for obvious reasons. I also sometimes use them to fill in low cut necklines. In the winter, I wear camis or tanks under sweaters so I don't have to wash the sweaters as often. They also help prevent the sweaters from clinging to my bra (I like pretty, lacy bras, but they do tend to grab sweaters).

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I amassed quite a collection of layering tanks over the last few years as summer tops got quite sheer and I needed an underlayer, but this year I find I'm rarely reaching for them. In fact, I should cull some and regain some drawer space. Most of my more recent summer top purchases are not sheer and work without a layer underneath. I just have less patience for that extra layer these days. Plus I seem to be running warmer.

Aida, if you pop back in, I would be curious for a link to the looser semi-sheer tissue weight tanks you mention. There are times I could use something like that! I get annoyed with tight tanks in summer.

Von

Veteran

I have a load of camis, under anything v-neck I need one because they all look scandalous otherwise! Because for the longest time longer tops were NOT easy to find, and with low rise jeans being my perfect fit, I need a long cami to 'keep it classy' in most instances ;). I also have button up shirt issues, so a cami allows me to unbutton to my most optimal button and feel all covered. Wrap dresses that look cute online create very wide cleavage gapes, so they all need camis also. I have three great wrap dresses and about 12 cami colors. My dress possibilities are endless! A different cami + jewelry can really change up a dress.

Jude

For those of us who are more generously endowed a cami or tank under clothing gives a nice secure "locked and loaded" feel. I have them in all colours and weights and wear one almost every day. I find they give a nice drape to all my clothing, especially knits. They also fill in gaps on V and scoop neck tops and help prevent the dreaded grin.

pastrygirl

(website)

Veteran

I keep a cami or two around for sheer tops or deep v-necks. I can probably count on one hand how often I wear them in a year, though.

Anonymous

Alana! You are not alone! I don't wear camis or tanks either, exactly for the reasons you mentioned. I live in a very hot climate, and if a blouse or dress isn't modest enough to wear by itself, I don't buy it. It's too hot here for an undershirt. I will wear a sweater over a blouse in the winter, but I have to be able to strip down to the blouse when the day heats up. I've been stuck with nothing underneath but a tank top one too many times, and I finally just gave them all to my DD, who has more tolerance for this sort of thing than I do, lol!

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